


The City of Chains (Dragon age II Modern/Zombie Au)

by agentofchaos



Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/F, F/M, M/M, Modern Era, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:02:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4994773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentofchaos/pseuds/agentofchaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of the Champion of Kirkwall and her companions, set in modern times as a zombie virus spreads across Thedas. Hawke and her family must flee lothering from the zombie invasion. They manage to escape, leaving much behind. They begin their new lives as refugees in the city of Kirkwall. Hawke and Bethany posess magic, and must avoid the Agents of the Templar Order. This proves to be difficult, as their technology is advanced, and the Templars have artificial eyes everywhere. Controversy spreads due to the use of such devices that can track and detect mages. As privacy and freedom diminish, the conflict between the mages and templars grow stronger.<br/>Hawke, Bethany, and Carver lay low and stay out of trouble while trying to earn money and a place for themselves in Kirkwall.<br/>Unfortunatley for them, many other problems arise over the years. But their time in the city leads them to meet an interesting bunch, and the ones who'll stick beside them through the good, the bad, and the ugly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The City of Chains (Dragon age II Modern/Zombie Au)

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the first chapter to my modern AU fic for Dragon Age II. I thought it would be super interesting in a modern world setting. Magic, and nonhumans such as elves, dwarves and qunari still exist. Every character is basically the same, but I've still made quite a few changes to the setting and how it would play out.  
> Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for the next chapter!

The Blight had been unleashed on Ferelden. An infection that started from an unknown source, believed to be from blood magic, that turned people into mindless killers. They were diverse, deadly, and growing in numbers. The zombies (also called undead, blighters or infected) invaded cities and towns, leaving only destruction behind. Countless lives were lost, and families broken apart. The zombies eventually reached Lothering—a small town that was far unprepared for the attack.  
Marian Hawke awoke to the muffled sounds of gunfire and screaming. She was immediately alert. She had expected that moment to come, but not so soon. “Oh no,” she breathed, shedding the covers and stumbling out of bed. Her head slightly spun from getting up too fast. She pulled her curtains open to reveal the commotion going on outside.

  
The Hawke family's apartment floor was high enough that she could see what was happening on the opposite end of town. Sirens wailed, fires were spreading, and the infected made their way across the streets, fully armed and deadly. Their bony, decayed faces and piercing, hollowed blue eyes were enough to inflict fear upon even the bravest souls. Very shortly, they would reach them. Hawke knew she had to get her family to safety; there was no time to spare. She collected herself, but her heart was hammering so hard it hurt her chest. She would protect her family—or die trying.

  
The empty mattress in the corner of the room told her that her brother, Carver, was not home. She mentally cussed at him and headed out the doorway, squinting in the darkness.  
Without knocking, she entered the bedroom across from hers. For only a brief moment, for the first time, she was _actually_ thankful that her family was poor and couldn't afford to live separately. Rounding them up in time would have been a near impossible task, otherwise. Even at twenty-two, Hawke still struggled with finding a place of her own. They moved in together after their faither Malcolm had died; and his death still weighed heavy on their hearts. “Bethany—” she paused when she saw her sister already up, leaning over their mother Leandra's bedside, urging her awake. Bethany looked at Hawke gravely. They both knew their risk of befalling to the Darkspawn was more likely than not.

As the eldest, Hawke knew that she needed to take the role of leader. It was a heavy burden at times, but she was most fit for the situations that required her to be. Though she was doubtful at that moment whether she could handle the responsibility. Leandra stirred awake, blinking. “What's happening?” she asked groggily. When she saw her daughter's expressions, it was enough for her to know. She sat upright, placing a hand to her chest and exclaimed, “But the reports tonight said that they were heading east from here! They were onto a cure!”  
“Yes, because believing what's said in the news is always a great idea. I say we should do it more often,”Hawke said sarcastically. “When they said everything was fine, I knew that's when we should have left.” She said firmly. “We have to go. Now.”

  
“Where's Carver?” Bethany demanded, already knowing that her twin brother was missing. “Hell if I know,” Hawke shrugged helplessly. She was angry, but also terribly worried. “We have to leave now and try to find him. I'm not waiting around.” Bethany nodded in agreement, though her voice was shaky. “Right. Mum,” she said, taking her hand. “Let's go.”  
“Carver, no... What if those _things_ have gotten him?” she cried, and angrily turned to her eldest.

“Marian, how could you not be keeping an eye on your brother in a time like this?” tears welled in her eyes. That was typical of Leandra; putting the blame on someone else, especially in panicked situations. It was usually Hawke. Their mother always seemed to forget how old they actually were.“He's not a baby, mother. He's _eighteen_. I can't control where he goes!” she threw her hands up and sighed sharply. Not only was she annoyed that her mother would expect her to be responsible for her much larger, more difficult younger brother, but she also hated when her first name was used. Bethany gripped Hawke's shoulders and turned her away.“There's no time for this.” She was right, as usual. Hawke took a deep breath and focused. “Get into proper clothes,” she instructed her mother and sister. “I'll grab some supplies. Potions. We're going to need them.”With a last nod to Bethany, who returned the gesture, she went to retrieve her clothes. The laws against magic seemed irrelevant then, but it was still risky to use it. Hawke and Bethany had been mages since they were young, and had learned to control their abilities well—always staying out of demonic temptations, which were prevalent amongst magic users.

Hawke dressed herself accordingly—a fitting black tanktop, a grey zip up hoodie, accompanied by her signature blue scarf, and dark but flexible jeans. Casual, but she didn't have anything exactly meant for battle. She headed to the storage closet and pulled out a first aid kit on the bottom shelf. She also grabbed a small backpack, filling it with potions that she and Bethany had made, in preparation for dire situations. It had been some time since she had used her magic powers. Creating magic spells was conspicuous--anyone seen casting them would be arrested and taken to the Circle. But Hawke figured that any police officers or templar agents around the area would be more concerned with the Darkspawn. Hopefully.

Leandra convinced Hawke and Bethany to wait inside for Carver rather than look for him. If he didn't appear soon, they would have to leave. Hawke paced the hall by the doorway, trying to calm herself.  
Approximately a half our later, Carver burst in through the front door and closed it behind him, panting heavily. A bloodied baseball bat was gripped firmly in his hands before he let it clatter to the floor, staining the white tile with crimson spots. He leaned against the door and slunk down, his eyes wide and staring blankly ahead. “We have an undead problem,” he mumbled, unblinking.  
“You don't say,” replied Hawke, frowning. She was relieved that Carver was still alive, but he looked terrified. “Where were you?” she tried not to sound too upset with him.  
“I was just out with a couple of friends; the pub near the water. Just having fun—then the blighters, they came out of nowhere,” he answered between heavy breaths. He shook his head, placing a hand to his brow. “My friends—I don't know if they made it. I barely escaped.”

  
Leandra hurried over to Carver, taking a cloth and wiping his face. “You didn't think to tell us before you left..." she shook her head. "Are you hurt?” She studied him for any visible wounds. “No—just in shock,” he gently moved her hand away. “We can't stay here.” Carver was always capable of regaining his nerve in a matter of seconds. He heaved himself onto his feet and picked up the bat. “Where do we go? They're everywhere.” He asked them all, but only looked directly at Marian.  
The noises from outside were gradually becoming louder. Suddenly, the building's fire alarm went off. The ringing felt sharp in their ears. Wincing, Hawke practically whipped the door open. That was their cue to leave immediately. They had waited long enough, and Hawke feared they would be surrounded.

The Hawke family headed out of their apartment, passing other terrified families and couples, into the hallway, and down the stairwell leading onto the main floor. The power was out by the time they descended one flight of stairs. “Well, that's just great,” sighed Carver. “I've got this,” Bethany reassured them in a whisper. Using her magic, with a wave of her hand she lit up the darkened stairwell, reading the floor numbers as they passed them. A loud roar echoed down the stairwell from the rooftop, making them freeze in fear. It was still too dark to see all the way up. “Faster,” was all Hawke said frantically, and they stepped down as fast as they could without stumbling. Their footsteps and laboured breathing created a chorus of echoes with their descent and resounded loudly in their ears. Once they reached the main floor, they ran to the back exit away from the main roads. Luckily, the woods were not far. To their dismay, as soon as Hawke opened the door and her family poured outside, they were obstructed by undead. The creatures roared fiercely, and went in to attack without hesitation.

  
Leandra let out a shrill scream. Bethany stood in front of her, hands aflame, while Marian and Carver acted in offence instantly. She casted a fire spell that caused the undead to be engulfed in flames. Even that wasn't enough to stop them, though. A few still staggered through fire, but severely weakened. With a fierce yell, Carver charged forward and swung his bat with all his might, wishing he had a more useful weapon. Still, he managed to bash the monsters' skulls in with ease. Blood splattered across his face, and he wiped it off with his free hand. They were clear for now, but more could be seen approaching quickly in the distance. “Well done, you brute,” Hawke grinned slightly. She tried to lighten the mood in any way she could, even when the situation less than called for it. Sometimes it frustrated Carver, but he managed to give her a brief smirk, then jerked his head forward. “Let's go.” Hawke took the lead once more, breaking into a run, with her mother and siblings closely behind.  
Bethany held Leandra's hand, making sure she didn't fall. Their mother needed that protection, as she was older and had no magic powers. Leandra and Bethany had always been closest. Hawke had complete faith in her sister to protect her while she mentally formed a plan. There was not much coming to her, only that they had to keep moving and avoid the undead.

  
They nearly reached the woods leading up to the mountain paths with undead right on their backs. “Now, through here!” Hawke exclaimed, darting to the left, leaving the path and cutting into the bush. Just as they entered, Leandra's foot snagged an uprooted tree branch and she fell forward, pulling Bethany down with her as well. At the sound of a yelp and thud, Hawke skidded to a halt, dirt scraping out from under her feet as she twisted around and prepared to engage her enemies. Carver was in sync, and the two siblings attacked. Bethany, instead of tending to her mother, let out a frustrated breath through her nose, got to her feet and cast a destructive fire spell, similar to Hawke's, creating a wall of fire that caused the undead to cease, but she knew it wouldn't hold for long. The fire wall was enforced by Hawke's spell, and the flames lifted higher, rapidly licking up the leaves of the trees.

  
“Perfect, so now, we can be corrupted by blighters, or be burned alive,” Carver snapped. “Can't you two make anything else besides fire?”  
“Not yet, but when I learn any ice spells I'll be sure to turn you into a giant jackass-cicle,” Marian retorted. “Enough!” Bethany exclaimed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “We just have to keep going.” Leandra had gotten up and brushed herself off. She backed away, further from the flaming wall and the enemies right behind it trying to get through. “We can go to Kirkwall,” she suggested through ragged breaths. “Yes.” she restated firmly. Her hands were trembling slightly, so she put them behind her back. "We have family there. And an estate."

  
“Kirkwall?” Bethany questioned, frowning. “The place is crawling with _templars_ ,” she winced at the last word. Hawke nodded in agreement. “I'd rather not have to constantly watch our backs for templars...but where else can we go?” Silence fell on the family as they thought of other options.  
“Well, it's not a problem for me, at least,” Carver muttered. “I say we try Kirkwall. If we lay low, we should be able to stay out of trouble. Who says you'll even have to use magic there?” Carver shrugged and raised his brow, looking smug. “If they have everything under control, there will be no need to expose yourselves.”  
Hawke met his gaze with a sharp glare and kept it there for a while. Her brother didn't look away. She opened her mouth to argue but Bethany pulled her along by the elbow as they heard the snap of a large tree branch. It fell clean off the tree and thudded loudly on the ground. The roaring fire continue to spread. “Kirkwall it is then,” she pressed.  
Hawke gave the rest a terse nod. “It's not like we have much of a choice.” She began to walk. With one last look behind them, leaving their old lives behind, they made their way up to the mountains, with the zombies still in pursuit.


End file.
